Episode 499. Secret Matters (2)

It was truly wonderful.

My time with Surin was perfect, and I planned to lie in bed waiting for her to wake up. Because after a woman’s first time, aftercare is also important.

I was contemplating meeting Ahyoung if I had some time to spare… when something completely unexpected happened. There was a stray cat peeking through the door crack, watching Surin and me have sex.

“Haa… Where did she go?”

Lee Hoyeon, hastily throwing on some clothes and quickly exiting the hospital room, looked around. Ahyoung was nowhere to be seen, naturally. Even if I tried to look for her, I didn’t know the hospital layout well, so I had no idea where to go.

‘Rune Barrier.’

Only Ahyoung could enter Surin’s room, but just in case, I cast a thick Rune Barrier.

“Let’s head out for now.”

Surin’s room was in a secluded corner, so nobody wandered by. Lee Hoyeon walked towards the main corridor and stopped a doctor heading somewhere.

“Excuse me, have you seen the Saintess-nim? I think she came this way.”

“Huh? The Saintess-nim? She’s probably attending to her assigned patient right now.”

“Ah… Do you know where she might be going next?”

“Perhaps her private room? Did you schedule an appointment beforehand? The Saintess-nim isn’t someone you can just meet whenever you please.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

Lee Hoyeon nodded gratefully, committing the words ‘Ahyoung’s private room’ to memory. It had come up once during a conversation with Surin. She had definitely said, ‘Ahyoung’s private room is close to the ward, so I visit her all the time.’ If it was as close as Surin made it sound, I should be able to find it quickly without asking anyone else.

Lee Hoyeon scanned the entire floor before heading down one level.

“…Here it is.”

As expected, Ahyoung’s private room was located on the floor directly below.

[Saintess Ahyoung-nim]

– Punishment for Unauthorized Entry

Ahyoung’s waiting room wasn’t in a corner, and people occasionally passed by. I felt nervous about going in, but I couldn’t avoid it. Besides, there was a chance she wasn’t even inside, so I needed to check quickly.

Lee Hoyeon steeled himself and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Ahyoung-ssi. Are you inside?”

I waited a moment, but there was no answer.

“… Haa.”

Lee Hoyeon sighed. No answer doesn’t mean no one’s inside. I could faintly sense Ahyoung’s magic. And faint rustling sounds. Lee Hoyeon’s sharp senses confirmed someone was inside.

I could pretend I didn’t notice and leave…

“I’m just going to come in. Sorry.”

The moment I knew Ahyoung was inside, I couldn’t just turn back.

Creeeak.

Lee Hoyeon carefully opened the door.

*

Tadadadak.

“Ah, uaaah…”

Ahyoung ran down the hallway. She had never run at full speed like this, not even when an emergency patient appeared. But now, it felt necessary. The moment her eyes met Lee Hoyeon’s, a strange, overwhelming emotion propelled her forward.

Creeeak. Bang!

Ahyoung burst into the private room, slammed the door shut with enough force to break it, and immediately threw herself onto the bed. A weird, ticklish sensation spread through her entire body. Ahyoung buried her face in the pillow, her expression crestfallen.

“Ugh…”

Why did I run away so pathetically? Should I have confronted him, asking what he thought he was doing? No, anyone would have run in that situation. Besides, Surin and I are allies. It’s ridiculous to question what’s happening now.

‘…To think they’d have such lewd sex.’

I vaguely knew Lee Hoyeon was involved with other women, but the shock of actually witnessing it was indescribable. It was incredibly awkward seeing the usually prim Surin clinging to him, moaning. The moment our eyes met, all I could think was that I had to escape immediately. My heart was still pounding uncontrollably.

“Will it be okay if we act like nothing happened when we see each other next time…?”

Ahyoung shook her head. Now that we’d made eye contact, that wasn’t going to happen. One of us would definitely show it. And it would most likely be me.

‘…So Surin has that side to her too….’ The image of my friend being fucked by the man I liked kept flashing before my eyes. The thought of my beloved man being stolen made me feel awful. Ahyoung could accept most preferences, but she wasn’t ready for that kind of thing yet.

“…I’m so annoyeddd.”

It felt unfair. I’m sure I liked Lee Hoyeon first. But Surin met Lee Hoyeon first. If their relationship started before mine… maybe Surin would be the one feeling wronged.

“Ugh, ugh… Sob.”

Ahyoung started sniffling without realizing it. Her mood swung back and forth like she had bipolar disorder. Ahyoung didn’t even know what state she was in. What should I do to quell these sad feelings? She had no idea.

Knock, knock, knock.

– Ahyoung-ssi. Are you inside?

“Hiiik.”

Ahyoung held her breath without realizing it. The voice belonged to Lee Hoyeon. He found me this quickly. It was unexpected. At this hour, he must have abandoned Surin and rushed straight here.

‘…I don’t want to go out.’ I felt a little happy, but I didn’t want to see Lee Hoyeon’s face right now.

‘Hic.’

Ahyoung suppressed her presence, held her breath, and pulled the blanket over herself. She couldn’t even imagine what she would say to Lee Hoyeon right now. Not locking the door after throwing herself onto the bed was a critical mistake, but maybe if I stay like this, Lee Hoyeon would too….

“I’m just going to come in. Sorry.”

Creeeak.

“…”

“Ahyoung-ssi?”

“…”

“Haa.”

Lee Hoyeon scratched his head. He could ignore Ahyoung huddled under the blanket and leave, but no matter how he thought about it, he needed to talk to her now.

Chwaak-

“Hiiik… Ah, ah… Ugh, ugh. Hello. I must have fallen asleep. Um….”

“…Yes. I see.”

Forcing himself to get up from the bed, Ahyoung yawned and sat up. Her eyes were reddish around the edges, suggesting she was close to tears. Lee Hoyeon sat wordlessly on the edge of the bed, and Ahyoung quietly sat beside him. At least we were facing each other now. I needed to say something, whether it was an excuse or persuasion, but the situation was quite awkward. I expected her to either get angry or cry buckets, but Ahyoung sat stiffly, blinking nervously with her fists clenched on her knees.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Ahyoung]

– [ Affection: 100 ] (+ 3.0)

– [ Lust: 70 ]

– [ Appetite: 20 ]

– [ Fatigue: 30 ]

Current State: Wh-what should I say? Since when? No. Did you eat? That’s weird too….

[Upon reaching 100 Affection, she craves Lee Hoyeon’s love.]

Looking at the status window didn’t change anything. The fact that Ahyoung wasn’t completely giving up and was also contemplating what to say offered Lee Hoyeon some relief.

“…Ahyoung-ssi.”

“Huh? Hoyeon-ah. Wh-what brings you here?”

Ahyoung seemed much more flustered than usual. She had her head bowed as if she had done something wrong, and seeing her like that made me feel even more guilty.

“You saw what happened with Professor Surin, didn’t you?”

“Hic…”

Seeing Ahyoung tremble as if she had been waiting for the question, Lee Hoyeon’s lips curled up unconsciously. I knew I shouldn’t smile in this situation, but she was just too cute. Fortunately, Lee Hoyeon still had the capacity to distinguish the situation. He desperately suppressed his smile and stared intently at Ahyoung.

“Ugh, ugh… I’m sorry. Honey…”

“…Why are you sorry, Ahyoung-ssi? I’m not the one who should be sorry.”

“I didn’t mean to peek. I, I was just curious what you were doing… I wanted to surprise you…”

Seeing Ahyoung sniffling with her head down felt like my heart was tearing apart. No matter how strong Lee Hoyeon’s mentality was, this situation was incredibly harsh.

“… Haa.”

There was a way to be stern here. No matter what, peeking at someone else’s intimate moment wasn’t right, was it? The atmosphere suggested that a serious talk might work. …Of course, I wouldn’t do that.

“Honey. Kiss.”

“R-right now… Ugh, smooch…”

Lee Hoyeon cupped Ahyoung’s head and kissed her. It seemed like we could talk properly after calming down first.

“Smack… Smooch… Aaah… Ugh.”

“Are you okay now?”

“…”

Ahyoung sniffled while looking at Lee Hoyeon, who was smiling. Seeing Lee Hoyeon’s face seemed to ease some of the tightness in her chest.

“Honey…”

“Yeah. It’s okay.”

Pat, pat.

Lee Hoyeon hugged Ahyoung as she clung to him. She nuzzled her face against his chest, fidgeting like a puppy hugging its owner.

After holding Ahyoung for a moment, she spoke first.

“…Is it okay to ask about your relationship with Surin?”

“If there’s something you want to ask.”

“Did you… did you sleep with Surin before me…?”

“I swear on everything, today was the first time.”

“Liar.”

Ahyoung pushed Lee Hoyeon away slightly and frowned. He said that even after I saw… that sex. No matter how much he might ignore me, that lie wouldn’t fly.

“H-how could it be the first time after having… such intense sex…?”

“…It’s true. You remember the spar between me and the Professor, right? We agreed that if I won, we’d do it. That’s why we fought like our lives depended on it.”

“Ah, ah… So that’s why you fought so hard…”

“Yeah. The sex was a bit intense because the Professor said I could do whatever I wanted…”

Only then did Ahyoung understand why their spar had been so fierce. And as soon as she heard Lee Hoyeon’s words, a good scenario popped into her head.

“So… Surin giving herself to you was like a transaction, right? A brief fling with no feelings involved…?”

“…”

Lee Hoyeon closed his mouth. No matter how I thought about it, that wasn’t it. Surin wants me. Just like Ahyoung, she’s a woman who said she couldn’t live without me. It wasn’t easy to lie right after she’d had her first time.

“Sob… Honey…”

Seeing Lee Hoyeon’s expression, Ahyoung quickly became dejected. She knew Surin was sincere, of course. How nice it would have been if he had just told her he was sincere, even if it was a lie.

‘You bad person.’ But the fact that I was happy when he told me the truth was also a problem. Ahyoung couldn’t break free from Lee Hoyeon.

In the end, she could only hit Lee Hoyeon’s chest with a tearful face.

“…Why do you have so many women, Honey.”

“Honey…”

“Why won’t you be only mine? I’m so sad.”

Tears welled up without her realizing it. Disappointment and sadness towards Lee Hoyeon. Feeling pathetic and petty for being upset alone after calling ourselves allies. The unfairness of the situation. Various emotions ached Ahyoung’s heart.

“……”

Seeing Ahyoung tear up, I couldn’t bear to look her in the face. I regretted not just leaving without finding her, but it was something unavoidable anyway. In fact, Lee Hoyeon felt a little differently towards Ahyoung. He liked all women equally, but Ahyoung was the first one to reach 100 Affection. Memories made while volunteering. Things that happened during dungeon training. The intimacy shared in the nurse’s office. Each memory with her was precious. Seeing Ahyoung cry inevitably softened Lee Hoyeon’s heart.

‘I just want to let it all go.’ Making up excuses to get through situations was one of the stresses Lee Hoyeon endured. Constantly postponing things only to leave everything to the fake dungeon was also frustrating; he hated this suffocating situation. Impulsively, the thought crossed his mind, ‘Maybe… maybe it’s okay to be honest with just one person.’

“…Ahyoung-ssi.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Lee Hoyeon spoke.